I picked up her chicken about 30 min ago. I'm not sure its a prolapse now. There was poo all over her bum so i cleaned that up as best as i could. I may just pluck it tomorrow morning. There was a soft eg shell stuck in the mess and some brown crusties around her vent. The worst part is the maggots. They were all over her vent and some are still in a hole or something right under her vent. I have no clue what is going on....
This is called fly strike.
A chicken with a poopy butt will attract flies that lay eggs in all the warm, dark crannies. Those maggots hatch and start feasting on the tissue. It is *very* painful and can lead to death.
1) Wash the area well with warm soapy water.
2) Remove every. single. maggot you can see. This is tedious and fun.
3) Flush the wound with
chlorihexidine (you can get it at Walgreens/CVS where they keep the hydrogen peroxide). I would avoid hydrogen peroxide and/or betadine - both cause tissue damage in chickens.
4) Dry the wound thoroughly.
5) Apply either iodine or Vetericyn spray. (Do NOT use antibiotic ointment... maggots love warm, goopy hiding places.)
Repeat these steps twice a day (at least) until the maggots are gone and the infection is fully healed. As long as the wound is clean, and you are treating with chlorihexidine and iodine, you shouldn't need antibiotics.
Keep us posted on her progress!
MrsB
